Anyone paddle at night?

[Wyo George]

Over the years I've found that almost nobody is on the lakes at night around here, even less than nobody on the river. I've always loved to fish at night and have done a few floats on the river at night in my driftboat. I'm just wondering if anyone paddles at night and if so what setup do you have for lights, lanterns, etc?

 

[dave0]

Here in NH we do a lot of night paddling on local rivers, ponds and lakes. I've not done any on the ocean though, that would give me the creeps! Many times we try to catch the full moon, pull over and do a fire as well. Nothing wrong with that at all. Makes for a very good time!

 

[Rippy]

Yes.

 

[Alan Gage]

I do now and again. In the summer when we're having our hot and humid weather I'll start my regular river paddles at sunset. Amazing how different things seem. No need for lights even with no moon. I know that river very well.

I've also gone on a couple night paddles when out on trips. The initial reason is for fishing but soon I find myself reeling up the line and slowly cruising along the shoreline. Hard to beat a dark night alone on a Canadian lake under a sky full of stars. Again, no lights other than a headlamp in my pocket.

It's one of those things I always enjoy and tell myself to do more often but never follow through.

Alan

 

[Mihun09]

Night paddling would be awesome minus the mosquito's here. Dusk is about what we can do before they come out. As for night fishing, lights are illegal here so it would be done in the dark except for removing caught fish, besides, it is far easier to see in the dark without lights, just let your eyes adjust.

 

[memaquay]

We do it all the time. On a full moon, we only keep lights on if there is a chance of other boats. If it is dark, I use my regular headlamp. If it is really dark, we will navigate by GPS.

 

[scoutergriz]

I've done it lots of times! One thing is to pick up a couple of glow sticks; I'll hang one off the bow and a second on the back of the pfd. that way boats can see me, and if I ever flipped, it would help to spot me or the boat.

 

[Jim Dodd]

I love night paddling, especially if I know the water.
Nothing heightens your senses, like a beaver tail slap, of the screech of a heron when spooked off his roost !
I've been so close to coon, that I could knock them off a snag that they are fishing on !

Here in Iowa you need a light on, if you are on the same waters that are shared by motor boats. Small streams, my favorite, you just need a light in your possession.

Jim

 

[Boatman53]

Love night paddling. I group of us would get together on full moons, paddle across a pond to the ocean and build a big fire and just hang out, then paddle back about midnight.
The Ripster will be more than welcome to come along, as we often cook something.
Jim

 

[yknpdlr]

Each June, on or near the solstice, a few of us will paddle the route of the Adirondack 90-mile canoe race in a single day from Old Forge to Saranac Lake. We make the complete route, doing the full number of carries without external support (the official 3-day 90-miler race in September provides transport and does only half of the full carry miles). I'm up to 8 of those annual trips so far.

We start in Old Forge at the stroke of midnight to arrive 19 hours later at the finish in Saranac Lake village. Paddling the Fulton Chain of lakes in complete darkness is not to be missed. No lights is by far the best. Headlamps provide brief light to negotiate the narrow connecting channels between the lakes, and the first couple of carries. Without artificial light there are as many stars visible on the suface of the water as there are in the sky. Just pick a star on the necessary azimuth and paddle toward it. The earliest glint of dawn greets us with barely enough light to see just as we arrive to paddle in narrow winding Brown's Tract, and on into Raquette Lake for sunrise as we are often completely enshrouded in thick fog. It's a joyous time to paddle.

 

[yknpdlr]

We paddle all through the "night" on the Yukon River Quest. No need for artificial light, although the sun sinks briefly barely below the horizon, the sky never gets dark at that time of year up there!

 

[sweeper]

We spent a couple night up in Maine on Round Pond (not that Round Pond, the other one) and Poland Pond during the full moon. Both nights we eat supper and then went for a paddle both nights not a cloud in the sky, the ponds were mirrored out, with the Loon calls echoing off the surrounding hills.

 

[Jim Dodd]

We paddle all through the "night" on the Yukon River Quest. No need for artificial light, although the sun sinks briefly barely below the horizon, the sky never gets dark at that time of year up there!

What kind of craft are you paddling ?
Sounds like a hoot !

 

[yknpdlr]

What kind of craft are you paddling ?
Sounds like a hoot !

My crew and I paddle a C6/C7 voyageur canoe. Have raced in the the Yukon River Quest (440 miles) and the Yukon 1000 miler, twice each. Not done yet. Way better than a hoot.
​
http://www.yukonriverquest.com
http://yukon1000.com

 

[Canotrouge]

We always do up here in the summer!!!!

 

[southcove]

Sometimes for fun or to get away from the crowd on shore in camp.

Used to be fairly common for us to get to the launch point in the ADK park after 9pm from our lengthy drive North...sat on the site beach at Round Lake after dinnertime one time, as I got spotlight shined by a couple of party types coming in late (was extremely annoying at the time), looking for a good open campsite for themselves and decided I wouldn't do that to anyone else if it could be avoided, from that point on. And I have bright lights if I need them. Mostly enjoy near dark.

 

[Jim Dodd]

My crew and I paddle a C6/C7 voyageur canoe. Have raced in the the Yukon River Quest (440 miles) and the Yukon 1000 miler, twice each. Not done yet. Way better than a hoot.
​
http://www.yukonriverquest.com

Were I younger ! Very Cool !

What the Old Voyagers would have given for a set of Zavs !!

Jim

 

[ozarkpaddler1]

We paddle all night during the Missouri River 340 marathon as well. MR340 is always scheduled on or near the full moon for best night time visibility. Open water, full moon, no lights needed. Just small navigation lights for safety, blacked out on the paddlers side so as not to impare night vision. We navigate by sight and sound.

I really enjoy paddling at night and try to go during each full moon during the summer. It's a very special time to be on the water.

We stay mostly on lakes and large rivers at night, small rivers with lots of obstacles would be more hazardous.

I find that as long as I stay out away from shore there are very few mosquitos. However mayflies and other hatches are another story.

Usually I carry a pretty bright L.E.D.
flashlight in case I need to spot something on shore or hear rushing water indicting an obstacle that I'll need to see, but rarely use it.

Sometimes I'll crack open a glow stick and drop it in the bottom of the boat so I can see to find gear or fishing tackle. Glow sticks aren't bright enough to impare night vision.

John

 

[cflcanoe]

Often paddle before dawn. Use a glow sick on a home made clamp set up and a head lamp. The glow stick goes on the stern deck. Also have gone out looking for bio luminescence at night with a group. Used front and rear glow sticks then. Too many others and needed to make sure was seen. Being on the river as the wild life wakes up can be a great experience.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

We try to hit the lower Payette with a group at least once a year on a full moon. Glow sticks tied to each end of the boats and one on the pfd.

My favorite night paddle though was a little solo night trip on the North Fork of the Payette above Payette Lake (known locally as "The Meanders"). I put in at the inlet as the last day-paddlers were loading up and leaving. Paddled up as the sun set and back down by moonlight. Had close encounters with roosting osprey and with a swimming beaver. Owls flying low overhead. Bats were cruising just above the surface of the water and were often rising from a collision course to barely clear the Sojourn, returning to the water's surface on the other side.

Did some night river poling a few years back. Well - it was really morning, but it was still dark. Had a load of decoys and a duck hunting partner in the boat. I wore a headlamp so I could read the current as we headed upstream to our hunting spot to set up before sunrise. That was pretty cool too, although it was a short trip.